Fielding Norton, the new group chief enterprise risk officer at XL Catlin, has an extensive background in Earth and planetary science, and that has proven useful in his insurance industry career. Mr Norton joined the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences in 1995 as it set up the Risk Prediction Initiative, a science and business partnership.

Over the weekend, the combination of the spring tide and a high amplitude ocean eddy resulted in localized coastal flooding around low-lying areas of Bermuda. Tides were running around 1.5 ft above expected levels which were already higher than normal thanks to a spring tide.